Last Believer
by obeyshi
Summary: Banks/Delahoy. Eric's tumor begins causing more problems and some untold feelings come up between the two partners.
1. Chapter 1

It had been one of those cases where everyone on second squad was needed when it happened. Those few cases that are of high enough importance to rank above the rest and call for everyone to be on hand. The last time it had happen he had of course missed out on all the fun because apparently him and Banks had failed to hand in their 5's for at least 3 months.

Sitting in a hard black plastic chair within the briefing room, surrounded by other detectives and his partner Leo Banks, Eric Delahoy listened to Sergeant Brown while he informed everyone on the situation. Although Delahoy found it hard to concentrate and pay attention when speeches were being given, he was usually ok focusing in and hearing the important details. For everything else he would usually just depend on Banks to fill him in. This time however he was finding it much more difficult. His head was beginning to feel cloudy and his thoughts were becoming unclear. He could still hear Brown talking but the words just weren't making sense.

Without warning his ears began ringing as if a loud constant beeping sound was going off in his head and as soon as it came it seemed to dissipate into a soft rumble much like the noise on the TV once the station stopped broadcasting. He didn't recall it hurting. There was no pain as he sat there in the meeting trying for the life of him to focus in and stop whatever it was that the tumor inside his head was doing to him now. It was bad enough that it had his seeing things and people that weren't really there. Again the sound in his head changed, this time from that soft rumble to nothing at all. No ringing, no TV static sound, no nothing. He looked straight at the sergeant and heard nothing even though he could see his lips still moving.

Moments later everyone began to get up from their seat and began to slowly pile out of the briefing room. Taking that as a hint, Eric pushed down the faint feel of fear and panic in hopes that it would soon pass like the visions did and stood from his seat. At that moment he felt a wave hit him that caused him to feel disoriented. Trying to regain his balance; with his thoughts still cloudy, he looked up and saw that a few of the detectives that were already at the door to leave were looking back at him curiously almost suspiciously to see if he was alright. Before his eyes close he remembers the look on Leo's face, one of worry. He see's Shraeger reach up and point to her nostril as if to bring something to his attention. Bringing up a weak hand, Delahoy reaches two fingers up to his nose and brings them down in front of him. His vision is next to fail him as things become blurry and misshapen and all he can see it a peach like blob for a hand with red smudges on the tip. His nose was bleeding. This is when his body completely gives out and all he can do is feel himself begin to tip forward toward the ground. It just had to be today of all days when it happened. During a case that didn't involve missing cats or idiots that think they can get away with shopping at a murder store. This was the day when Eric Delahoy could no longer avoid the fact that he had a brain tumor, and because he had ignored the doctors pleas to get help, it came back to bite him in the ass.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been three detectives; Shraeger, Walsh, and of course Banks, along with Sergeant Brown that had noticed the distant look on Delahoy's face. Noting the blood that had begun to slowly drip from his right nostril and the sway in his stance, they stood by briefly with a look of concern and worry. Soon though, with quick steps, Walsh was able to get to Delahoy in time before he hit the floor completely and cracked his head open on the tiled floor. Moving chairs out of the way they laid him flat on his back and crowded around him as Casey tapped him lightly on the cheek. Banks, who was by now panicking, pulled on Eric's suit jacket in an attempt to shake him awake. With no luck, the Sergeant looked back over his shoulder in time to see Eddie Alvarez looming in the doorway trying to see what the hold up was.

"Alvarez! Call an ambulance!" Sergeant Brown commanded firmly.

"Sir?" Alvarez asked as if wanting to wait and clarify what it was for.

"Now Alvarez! We need some help in here." Brown yelled as Alvarez stumbled with his coat pocket for his cell phone.

Hearing the commotion, Beaumont and Cole re-entered the briefing room. Walking toward the detectives that were still attempting to awaken Delahoy, they too crouched down to see if he was all right. As soon as paramedic loaded him onto a stretched and into the ambulance, Banks insisted that he ride along to keep an eye on his partner. Understanding, the rest of the detectives promised that they would check in during the case.

Once they had arrived at the hospital, doctors took Delahoy to get tested and to get an MRI, leaving Banks pacing in the waiting room. After finding that pressure was being exerted on his brain, they admitted him to a room and began to administer him medication that would temporally relieve some of it. Still unsure of what was happening or if his partner was going to be ok, Banks was relieved when he saw the doctor approaching him.

"Are you Leo Banks?" The doctors asked while looking at the file in his hand.

"Yes, that's me. Hey is my partner going to be ok?" Leo asked while subconsciously tightening the straps on his vest.

"He's as good as he can be in his condition without the surgery." Delahoy's doctor, who was wearing a white lab coat with the name Dr. Evans embroidered into it, informed Banks.

"Surgery? He needs surgery? Wha--what kind of surgery?" Banks stumbled his words in disbelief and horror that something was terribly wrong.

"Well usually we would wait to speak to the patient about this sort of thing but seeing as Mr. Delahoy has already been informed and has listed you as his proxy then I suppose it's ok that you are also informed. The MRI confirmed that Mr. Delahoy has a brain tumor and –" The doctor stated and began to explain before being cut off but Leo's sudden outburst.

"Tumor! He has a brain tumor!" Leo shouted in shock and remorse. "_He really had a brain tumor…_"Leo stated, more to himself than anyone as he recalled the day in the diner when Eric had told him but then immediately laughing it off ask if he were just joking.

"It is treatable. With surgery we should be able to completely remove it with minimal damage. Leaving it in however will make those few months he has left difficult to enjoy seeing as things like this will most likely occur often."

"Huh…uh, can I see him?" Banks asked while trying to take in and absorb the information.

"Yes of course. He right through there." The doctors directed him towards a door near the end of the hall where he could see a nurse checking his vitals through the opening of the door. Entering the room, as the nurse was just finishing up, she passed by Leo and closed the door behind her leaving them alone in the hospital room.


End file.
